EAST PEORIA, Ill. ? Senior forward Monica Rogers (Forsyth, Ill./St. Teresa/Hampton) scored six of her game-high 20 points during a 10-2 Bradley run midway through the second half to help the Braves to an 81-71 victory over Missouri State Thursday night at Lorene Ramsey Gym. Bradley (20-8 overall, 11-6 MVC) matched a school record with its 20th win of the season and moved into a tie with Drake for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings at 11-6.
Missouri State (10-18 overall, 6-11 MVC) trailed 40-37 at halftime after connecting on 12-of-12 attempts from the charity stripe in the opening 20 minutes of play. Sophomore Sonya Harris (Riverdale, Ill./Thornton) was limited to just five minutes in the first half after picking up two early fouls, but freshman Leah Kassing (Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County) had eight points, one rebound, one blocked shot and two steals in seven minutes of play in the first half.
The Bears trimmed Bradley's lead to one point on several occasions in the second half and trailed 52-51 with 15:30 left in the contest. The Braves led 60-54 with 10:47 remaining after a Skye Johnson (Olympia Fields, Ill./Marian Catholic) three-pointer, but a fastbreak layup by Jacque Griggs pulled Missouri State to with four points at 60-56.
Bradley's post players took over at that point, scoring all 10 points during a 10-2 spurt which gave the Braves a 70-58 advantage with 6:30 to play. Harris got things started with a jumper in the lane and Rogers made four consecutive free throw attempts. A pair of Missouri State free throws was followed by a Leah Kassing layup and Rogers capped the run with a layup.
Missouri State cut into the Bradley lead, trimming the deficit to seven points (75-68) with just under two minutes to play. Johnson made 4-of-4 from the line to push the lead back to double digits and the Braves completed the second regular-season series sweep of the Bears in the last three years with the 81-71 victory.
Rogers led the Braves with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting and also pulled down eight rebounds. Johnson added 15 points, while Kassing tossed in a season-best 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field. Three other players scored eight or more points, with Harris finishing with eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds as she helped Bradley to a 44-31 edge in rebounding.
The Braves matched the school record of 20 wins in a season set during the 1979-80 campaign when Bradley finished with a 20-9 mark. BU's 11 Missouri Valley Conference victories are the most since the 1991-92 squad finished 11-7 and the Braves are guaranteed their best conference finish since tying for third in 1991-92.
Freshman guard Casey Garrison led Missouri State with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Senior Maggie Dwyer was the only other player in double figures, finishing with 11 points.
With the win and a Drake loss to Illinois State Thursday night, the Braves moved into a tie with the Bulldogs for third place in the conference standings at 11-6. Bradley holds a one-game lead on fifth-place Indiana State (10-7), which plays at Drake Saturday afternoon.
The Braves close out the regular-season Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. game against Wichita State at Lorene Ramsey Gym. Saturday's game will be broadcast in the Peoria area on WMBD 1470 AM.
